Eron Ben-Yehuda
HUNTINGTON BEACH -- A city subcommittee last week drafted a set of
recommendations for the proposed development of 1,200 homes on the Bolsa
Chica mesa, including increasing the buffer zone between the development
and sensitive habitats.
The subcommittee also is recommending further study of the archeological
significance of the site, with the intention of possibly preserving some
part, and is suggesting city staff review the possibility of releasing
runoff farther away from the wetlands.
The recommendations will be presented to the City Council for review Jan.
3, then passed on to the Coastal Commission, which will consider the
development proposal sometime in mid-January.
The commission, a state board that examines costal development plans,
must approve the project before it receives final approval from the
county.
Plans for the development allow for 50-foot-wide buffers, but the
subcommittee said buffers of 100 meters, about 330 feet, would be better.
An American Indian who spoke at the meeting told of the effect building
the homes would have on her ancestral land. Human remains believed to be
thousands of years old have been found on the mesa.
"You people don't have a right to destroy our history," said Lillian
Robles, of the Juaneno tribe.
As for Hearthside's plan for dealing with runoff, the developer --
formerly known as the Koll Real Estate Group -- plans to dispose of it
through outfall pipes that drain into the Outer Bolsa Bay.
Because contaminants may upset the delicate balance of the wetlands, the
subcommittee asked city staff to look at alternatives that will release
the runoff farther away.
The commission will meet sometime between Jan. 11 and 14 in Santa Monica,
although no specific date or place has been set.
